Maybe it was the mattress but she felt like she was laying on cloud 9. Her eyes peered down. Seth was cuddled up to her like a baby with his head resting on her stomach. She wanted to shrug him off, she really did but she'd be cold if she did and at the moment, she'd much rather be under her warm comforter (and warm Seth Rollins).
"Go back to sleep, Sasha. I can hear you thinking and it's annoying as shit," Seth mumbled in his sleep as he shifted, now resting his head right below her bosom. She didn't know what to think. They were making progress, lots of progress actually. Seth had passed every test she threw his way and she was struggling internally about what to do next.
"I am not," Sasha whispered but relented, awkwardly placing her hand back into his hair to run her fingers through it. That wasn't enough for Seth, who interlocked his leg with one of hers under the covers and grabbed her hand to hold. He had an undying need to touch and feel her as much as possible and although she wasn't complaining, she'd never be able to understand why.
"I love you," he mumbled before falling back asleep, his light snoring acting as proof.
He loved her? That couldn't have been right. Seth said a lot of things but this was the first time that she'd heard him say it so clearly and directly. Then again, he was half conscious so she couldn't actually accept it as the truth. Sasha was shocked but she decided to let the matter rest for a few more hours. They both could use the sleep.
"I really hope you do," she whispered and kissed the top of his head before allowing herself to drift off again. Even though she was positive that he was out cold, she could've sworn he started holding her even tighter.
"Stop looking at me like that," Sasha asked Seth. He was eating a super late breakfast at 5:00pm consisting of toast, coffee, and orange juice on one side of Sasha's kitchen island while staring at her legs as she bent over to adjust the straps on her sandals.
"How am I looking at you, Banks?" Seth responded and leaned on the counter, propping himself up on his elbows. He was smirking and she always seemed to blush under his gaze.
"You're looking at me like I'm the most important thing in the world or something," she nervously laughed. Sasha tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Because you are. Seth knew what he wanted to say but he elected to just smile. "Of course not, I'm the most important thing in the world by far," Seth joked, causing Sasha to chuckle.
She walked over to the dishwasher to put in her now empty coffee cup. Seth came behind her while her back was turned and wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck.
Sasha tensed up immediately, and was ready to go off when Seth stopped her in her tracks.
"One minute, that's all I want, Banks. Just let me hold you for a measly sixty seconds. Please," Seth whispered into her ear and she felt her legs turning to mush but she managed to maintain composure. He was slightly annoyed with her but tried not to let it show. He knew he had messed up in the past but every time it seemed like they were moving forward, Sasha always got a harsh attitude.
"Fifty-five seconds, Rollins, not a second longer and I am counting," Sasha said.
Seth grinned and began rubbing his cheek against her neck and rubbing imaginary circles on her hips with his fingers, all while gripping her as close to him as possible. Sasha did her best to keep her breaths steady.
He still drove her crazy but there was no place she'd rather be. Sasha relaxed into his touch. Seth was really sweet, not all of the time, but when he wanted to be. The problem was that he was just stupid. He always found a way to sabotage every good thing that happened to him. What made this time different?
"I'm really happy to be here...with you," Seth said and Sasha rolled her eyes. She hated when Seth got like this because it usually meant he was about to go on a long spiel about his feelings which usually made Sasha cry tears of happiness or storm out. Sasha needed her sanity today so she decided to stop him right in his tracks.
"Time's up. Hands off," she wiggled out of his grip and grabbed her keys, cell phone, and wallet off the counter. She was already dressed in a simple t-shirt dress and sandals so there was no reason to stick around for anything. "I'm heading out, you can stay or go out, I'll be back by 7 definitely but my spare key is on that hook on the wall, take it with you if you leave so you can get back in. Do not eat everything in my kitchen. I think that's it, so bye."
Seth looked at her with a confused expression. How did she go from a teddy bear to a tiger in ten seconds flat?
"What is it, Rollins?" she asked with literally one foot out of the door already. He was about to make her late.
He said nothing. Seth gently pulled her out of the doorway and shut the door before pressing her back against it.
Sasha looked like Bambi. Her eyes were so large and confused. She didn't know what Seth was trying to do and she was in way too much shock to ask questions. He still wasn't dressed yet. He had showered but sported only sweatpants, no shirt, and wet hair.
Seth chuckled at her facial expression. Sasha looked like a cross between scared and intrigued. She had no reason to be scared of anything though, especially when he was around.
He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her into him. She gasped at his suddenness. Her body was rigid and Seth had to say that he loved seeing the great ironwoman Sasha Banks being nervous.
Seth tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "This morning, when we were in bed together," Seth said and Sasha blushed. Even though she knew nothing happened, he always had a way of making things sound so dirty. "That thing you think you heard me say, you need to stop thinking that you heard it."
Sasha's body started slightly shaking and her fists clenched. Seth basically said she was a fool to think he loved her. She was about to open her mouth to kick him out when he grabbed her hand in his and leaned in to whisper again.
"You shouldn't think you heard it, you should know that you heard it," Seth said. He slowly pulled back to look at her eyes. She gasped and was smiling at him like he was perfect and in that moment, he knew he didn't just love her. He wanted to have this girl by his side for the rest of his life.
Sasha grinned. "Okay," she said because she couldn't find any other words which was fine because Seth knew exactly what to do.
He took his other hand and placed it under her chin. He looked into her eyes for permission and saw no protest so he went for it. He pressed his lips to hers and she immediately relaxed against him. Her mouth was soft against his and he became hyperaware of everything about her from her hair that smelled like strawberries to how her body perfectly molded against his.
Seth knew he was breaking rules but at this point, he didn't even care. He wouldn't be Seth Rollins if he didn't push the envelope. His hand that wasn't in hers slid down her body until it rested on her ass. Sasha being Sasha reached behind her and pulled his hand back up until his hand was resting on her waist instead.
Seth being Seth waited a few seconds before trying again and this time, she didn't stop him. Instead, she wrapped both arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. This was really crossing every line they had drawn but neither of them cared. Seth squeezed her ass and she jumped a bit. He took that as an opportunity to pick her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist until Sasha's phone began to ring.
They stopped in their tracks and moved their attention to the floor. In the midst of their interaction, she had dropped her keys, phone, and wallet to the ground. Sasha wiggled free from where she was hoisted around Seth's waist and grabbed her phone. It was Bayley. She was coming to pick her up to have an early dinner but Sasha was now late because of Seth.
She answered the phone, quickly apologizing and assuring Bayley that she was on her way outside before hanging up. Seth picked up her keys and wallet and handed them to her. Sasha finger combed her hair to straighten it back out then grabbed her things from Seth.
"Thank you," she mumbled. Seth grinned and grabbed her face to kiss her one more time before she left. He knew he was acting like a child but he couldn't get enough of her. She didn't let him land one on her lips, instead turning her head to let him kiss her cheek.
"I'll be here when you get back, Banks," Seth said and tried to kiss her forehead but she stepped out of his reach.
"Yeah," she said before backing out of the apartment as quickly as possible. She couldn't think around Seth and she needed a drink.
"Seth. Seth Rollins is in your apartment...shirtless...and he loves you apparently?" Bayley asked as they sat in her car in the restaurant parking lot after their meal.
"Yep and we made out and I ran away from him," Sasha giggled. She was absolutely drunk off her ass and it was only 8:30 p.m. "You should've seen his eyes, it was like I broke him or something."
"But yesterday, you guys were doing so well. What happened?" Bayley asked. She was very confused. Sasha had avoided all Seth Rollins related questions while they were eating but spent about two and a half hours rambling about basically nothing, the last of those hours was spent throwing back wine like it was water.
"He happened. He's 'sweet' now," Sasha responded, emphasizing sweet with air quotes. "He's trying to lull me into a false sense of security. He comes by with his strong arms, his beautiful face with the facial hair, chiseled abs, his sweet words, and thoughtfulness and steals my heart! Then he disappears and doesn't give it back. Guess what though? Not again because this girl," Sasha put her finger on her forehead. "Is not falling for that again."
"Maybe he really loves you and wants to make it right," Bayley offered as a option.
"I don't know if I can take that risk," Sasha's demeanor changed and Bayley saw a lone tear fall from her right eye.
"Let's get you home, okay?" Bayley said encouragingly. She pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to Sasha's apartment. Sasha and Seth clearly had hugging down pact, they needed to master conversation.
"I really love him, Bales," Sasha whispered. She was falling asleep quickly.
"I know you do, Sash, I know," Bayley said.
Bayley plucked Sasha's keys from her lap and picked her up out of the car to carry her sleeping body upstairs. Sasha was extremely light so it wasn't hard to get her upstairs. With some strategic maneuvering, she was able to open the door without dropping or waking Sasha.
When she walked inside, she walked into Seth who had his backpack on his back and looked like he was leaving. His eyes bugged out of his head with concern. "W-w-what happened to her? Bayley what's wrong?" Seth started freaking out.
Bayley gently laid Sasha down on the couch then confronted Seth. "She's just drunk, the real question is what are you doing?"
Seth visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "She doesn't want me here, I don't think she can truly forgive me, Bayley. I think it's best if I just go," he said.
"Seth, she cares about you more than anyone on this planet. She's plastered right now because she's so unsure on if you're actually genuinely in it for the long run this time. If you leave right now, you'll just make her worst fears come true and I guarantee that you won't get her back again," Bayley urged.
Seth dropped his backpack to the ground on that note. "You're right."
"Of course I am. She needs you. Don't let her down. Don't let me down because if you hurt her again, I will make your knee injury seem like a papercut," Bayley deadpanned but her smile never faltered. Seth's jaw dropped in shock. "Okay bye! Have Sasha call me later!" She slapped him on the shoulder, left Sasha's keys and stuff on a chair, and left.
Seth locked the door and walked over to the couch where Sasha was laying. She looked so peaceful and he was cautious to move her but he picked her up as gently as he could and carried her to her room.
He set her down on the bed and removed her shoes from her feet one by one. Then, he slowly pulled off the t-shirt dress she was wearing. Seth had to take a step back and admire her body just for a moment. She wore just a plain heathered grey cotton bra and panties set but to him, it was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. Her body was beautiful with various curves and a perky butt and thighs he was aching to touch.
Despite all of this, her face was by far her most gorgeous feature even though her mascara had ran a bit. Seth rummaged around in her dresser until he found a big shirt that she loved to sleep in which was coincidently his. He slipped it over her head and took special care to straighten it out around her frame and make sure her hair didn't get caught.
Then, he laid her directly on a pillow and pulled her covers around her. He kissed her forehead for good measure. Seth had completely forgotten why he thought he could ever leave her again.
He went in the kitchen and grabbed her a bottle of water and two aspirin before placing it on her bedside table. She'd need it when she woke up.
Sasha woke up in her bed alone. She looked at the clock and it read midnight. All she knew was that her head was killing her and she was not wearing the clothes she ate dinner in.
She was dressed comfortably and headache medicine was waiting on her patiently. Seth. It had to be him.
She took the aspirin and allowed it to settle for a moment. Then, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth to get the alcohol out of her breath. Sasha sped up too quickly to walk to her living room and ended up stumbling in the process. She saw Seth sitting on the couch staring at the television, clearly not really processing what he was watching. It was an infomercial about cat food. Seth didn't even like cats.
She continued to stumble over to the couch and flopped down next to him. He extended his arm to offer to cuddle with her. He wasn't going to grab her or touch her if she didn't want it, even though she made it really hard to tell sometimes. Luckily, she accepted and curled up under his arm.
"My head is killing me," Sasha groaned. She was childlike at the moment. It seemed as if she was tinier than usual.
"I know it is," he replied, refusing to look at her. He was going back and forth on his decision to stay. He loved her endlessly but Sasha always did this. Sometimes she wanted to be the center of his attention, sometimes she was a stone whenever he was near her. He know he had a lot to do with it but she didn't make it very easy.
"I'm afraid of you. I'm not afraid you'll hit me or anything. I'm afraid you'll leave," she whispered. "Every time I feel like we can make it, I remember you walking away, I remember Zahra, I remember finding out you were with her one night while you were injured." She looked him in his eyes and it confirmed everything she needed to know. He looked ashamed.
"How'd you know?" He looked away when he asked her.
"She came to visit Summer during Wrestlemania weekend. The way she looked at me, Seth, she was so triumphant, so proud. She didn't need to say a word. I just knew," Sasha said in a somber tone.
"Sasha I'm so sorry, it was just a one time thing months ago, it meant nothing," he pleaded.
"I know, I know," she replied and a cold silence passed between them. They were curled up against each other but couldn't have been any further apart. Sasha broke the silence with a bombshell of her own.
"Seth, I had a baby," Sasha shared her darkest secret with him. He pulled away from her and just looked at her. He wasn't judging her at all but he was so confused. "Well I had a fetus. I was eighteen. I was homeschooled and this guy I knew invited me to his high school prom. Long story short, we had fun and I lost my virginity that night. When I found out I was pregnant, I told him, not even my own mom. Even though I should've been deathly afraid, I was so peaceful about having that baby because I felt like we were in this together, you know?" She fiddled with her fingers and took a deep breath before continuing.
"He wasn't, he told me about how he was going to college on a track scholarship and he couldn't afford any 'complications'. He left for school and never looked back. 10 weeks in, I hadn't even decided what to do with him or her yet but it didn't matter anyway. I miscarried. Then, I went after my dreams, went to wrestling school and never looked back," she finished.
"Sasha, I'm so sorry. I didn't know," Seth said. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. That explained her trust issues completely, in addition to her failure to connect with any guys (before him of course).
"No one does and I may never tell them but I told you. My brain is playing dodgeball in my skull and I know I look like shit right now but I told you all of that to give you an out. This is your get out of jail free card. If you leave, I will completely understand and I won't hold it against you," she said.
"But Sasha..," Seth started but she stopped him in his tracks.
"Let me finish. You are the light of my world. I was a career-only badass when I met you and now I'm a melting teenage girl whenever you're near me. Everything you do affects me. When you hold me, I feel safe. When you kiss me, I feel cared for. When you just talk to me, I feel complete but Seth, when you lie...gosh when you lie, when you're with someone else, when you disappear, I can't breathe, I self-destruct. So this is your chance. Leave now because I'm used to being rejected and abandoned but I swear it never gets easier," she finished pleading her case and Seth sat back against the couch in shock. This was too much information to take in at once. Sasha clearly held in all of her emotions until the dam broke and they all flooded out.
Seth was unsure and scared about a lot but he was sure of one thing. He wanted Sasha Banks for the rest of his life. The moonlight was seeping in through the blinds, dancing all over them. He turned off the tv which was rambling aimlessly.
He put his arm back around her nervous body and used the other to cover them both with a blanket he had brought to the couch. Seth tightened his grip on her and looked down into her eyes. "I wish I could erase all the pain in your life from your past, from me, but I can't but what I can say is that I am here to stay and Sasha Mercedes Banks, you are mine and I belong to you completely, heart, mind, soul, and nether regions," he said and they both chuckled at the last part. He leaned down and captured her lips in a sweet and delicate kiss. She smiled into it and he did too. He laid his forehead against hers. "Okay?"
She grabbed his hand under the blanket and held it in hers, squeezing gently. "Okay."
Bombshell and I updated within the week yayyy! I went back and forth writing this chapter but I hope it turned out okay. Thank all of your for your support and continue to support it! Next chapter, they're going back to work. See you next update!